Classic and contemporary autos to race at Speedway

Homestead-Miami Speedway has announced that it will host The Miami Historics — a full slate of vintage car races — during the weekend of March 7-9. Track president Matthew Becherer recently made the announcement.

The event will feature 17 different races over two days on the track’s infield road course — a 15 turn 2.2 mile traditional layout — by both the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) and the Trans Am Race Series. It will include a full complement of SVRA Sprint and Hawk Performance Endurance races that are part of the East Coast Championships.

“While it will be fantastic racing, the stars of this event will be the cars,” Becherer said. “Every ticket includes full access to the paddock where fans can get right up to the cars and drivers.

“Anyone with even slight interest in fine automobiles should plan to attend. You’ll see everything from Mustangs, Camaros and Corvettes racing against Ferraris, BMWs and Porsches. The cars competing throughout the weekend will include legendary classic makes to well-known contemporary brands.”

Individual daily tickets are $20 while three-day passes that include Friday (Mar. 7) practices and qualifying are $30. Tickets for the event are on sale now at www.homesteadmiamispeedway.com. They also are available by phone at 305-230-5255.

Saturday (Mar. 8) activities will begin with practice for the various race groups at 8 a.m., followed by qualifying and 10 different group races. Sunday (Mar. 9) activities will include four more SVRA races and the Trans Am Series race to at 3 p.m. to conclude the weekend.

Practice and qualifying on Friday (Mar. 7) will run from 8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.

“We’re excited to be visiting Homestead Miami Speedway for the first time in 2014,” said SVRA president and CEO Tony Parella. “I’m sure the South Florida race fans will enjoy the three days of action-packed racing featuring cars from the 1950s to the present, as well as the chance to get up close and personal with the cars and drivers.”

“Trans Am is excited to return to Homestead-Miami and even more excited to re-introduce Trans Am to fans of the series who call the Miami area home,” said Trans Am Race Company president John Clagett. “We’ll have a full complement of contemporary motorsport on display for them, from the iconic ‘TA’ cars they know and love, to the ongoing pony wars between the Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang in TA2 and the performance sports cars of TA3 — between Trans Am’s offering, SVRA and the track, I’m confident we’ll put on a must-see event over the course of the weekend.”

The Trans Am Series has gone through several evolutions since it debuted in March 1966 at Sebring International Raceway in Central Florida.

The Speedway has been open since 1995 following an initiative to spur economic recovery in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew. The 650-acre facility is active more than 280 days per year and will host NASCAR’s championship races during Ford Championship Weekend (Nov. 14-16) for the 13th consecutive year. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship Ford EcoBoost 400 is broadcast live on TV and radio to 200 countries in 24 languages. Homestead- Miami Speedway, featuring a 1.5-mile oval and 2.21-mile road course, generates more than $250 million annually for the region.